School/District Partnerships Reinvigorate Teaching Practices

As a classroom teacher, one of my favorite pastimes was participating in professional development. I visited other schools, attended workshops and took online courses. I especially enjoyed workshops, since they were a chance to connect with professionals from all over the country. The resources and excitement in those days, weeks or weekends were reinvigorating, especially in the middle of the New Hampshire winter. However after returning to my classroom, the afterglow soon wore off. Although it was better to attend with a colleague (with whom I could bounce ideas off later), the lack of sustained focus and follow-up led to, more often than not, the materials and energy quickly fading from view.

At UVEI, we approach professional education differently. How is it different? Through sustained coaching and inquiry cycles, educators immersed in their practice receive feedback and reflect with the help of a coach. Cycles last several weeks, months or even a full year. Instead of a “one and done” course, we spend time in each school to observe, model, debrief, plan and facilitate peer coaching and reflection. We are currently partnering with several school districts, bringing coaching and inquiry cycles to a team or an entire school, where teachers and administrators engage in inquiries such as balanced literacy, differentiated instruction, and project based learning.

One of our current partnerships is with Holland Elementary School, which is as close to the Canadian border as you can get without going through customs. Each week, I make the drive north to work with the teachers and students at this tiny pre-K through sixth grade school. Through weekly observations and coaching sessions, teachers aim to move their practice closer to “gold standard” project-based learning. Principal Kelli Dean, a UVEI Principal Intern Program alum (and current UVEI Curriculum and Instruction candidate), helped bring our faculty into a district-wide partnership focused on project-based learning. By the second meeting with teachers, I was already feeling new energy and momentum building as these educators brainstormed new units and approaches. As we journey forward together, our shared goal is to reinvigorate teaching practices that are valuable and sustainable.

This photo of Kate Underwood and her K-1 class was taken by Becky at Holland Elementary School earlier this fall.